Sri Lanka keen to equal India’s six triumphs at the Asia Cup
SKIPPER MATHEWS CONFIDENT DESPITE THE PULLOUT OF CHANDIMAL
Sri Lanka, five-time winners of the Asia Cup, are hoping to emulate India’s six title victories by clinching the 14th edition of the Asia Cup starting on September 15 at the Dubai International stadium.
They start their mission by taking on Bangladesh in the first match.
Speaking about his team’s chances to emerge as the winners, Sri Lankan team skipper Angelo Mathews said: “My team is a blend of youth and experience and I have got the best team. We have got the skill and potential to overcome any team on our day, and we are looking to the challenges ahead.”
In a crucial blow to the team yesterday, Test captain Dinesh Chandimal was withdrawn from the 16-member Asia Cup squad after sustaining an injury during a recent domestic Twenty20 tournament, the board said.
The 28-year-old batsman needed more time to recover from the finger injury, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement. He was replaced by wicketkeeper and batsman Niroshan Dickwella for the event.
Sri Lanka will train only from tomorrow at the ICC Academy ground. Their opponents Bangladesh have arrived first and practised at the academy.
Sri Lanka had won the Asia Cup in 2014 when it was played as a 50-over One Day International format.
Though the islanders as a team haven’t been performing at their best for nearly a year, their recent show against South Africa has given them the confidence.
Having lost the first three One Day Internationals to the Proteas, they staged a comeback to win the next two and also the one-off T20 International to prove that they are a dangerous team in one-day cricket.
Mathews admits that the team hasn’t fared well of late but the team’s performance against South Africa may take them a long way. “It is a fact we haven’t won a series for some time but the way we finished against South Africa was a confidence booster.”
Sri Lankan fans, meanwhile, are gung-ho over the comeback of their experienced pacer Lasith Malinga. Though he last played for Sri Lanka in a ODI an year ago, Mathews believes that Malinga will be able to produce his match-winning spells during the Asia Cup. Sri Lankan selectors are also trying out Malinga to find out whether he will be good enough for the 2019 World Cup too.
In his last ODI in UAE at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Stadium in 2013, he produced a haul of four for 57 to ensure a two-wicket win over Pakistan.